bait cars in places like this are a waste of resources. There are probably so many car theives there that there is relatively low risk for any given thief stealing a car. You can also clearly tell that these guys have stolen enough cars to know what a bait car looks like.

Bait cars would deter theives in areas with already low crime rates, because there would be a much higher chance of a given steal being a bait car. Car theives in these areas are also much more likely to just be opportunists rather than career car theives, which makes them much more likely to fall for the bait car.